Andy Murray hotel named best in Scotland - already

The Scottish Hotel Awards bestowed the honour of Luxury Hotel of the Year on Cromlix Hotel, a 15-bedroom property which opened in Dunblane on the first of this month.

The five-star hotel was refurbished with input from the Wimbledon champion’s girlfriend Kim Sears. She was consulted about the interiors, which were designed by Kathleen Fraser.

Andy Murray’s mother, Judy, a familiar sight courtside, had also shown her support for his latest venture by offering to stay in each of the rooms to perfect the experience. She was also on hand for guests and happy to chat during the hotel’s first week.

Andy Murray saved the hotel, which is three miles from his home, from permanent closure in February 2013. His brother Jamie got married there in 2010.

Judges described Cromlix, a Victorian mansion set in 34 acres with its own private chapel and loch, as a “national treasure” at a ceremony in Edinburgh last night.

The winning hotel was required to exude a “truly luxurious character” and “provide a level of indulgence in every area of operation”.

"Hotels often have sizeable sums of money spent on them but that's only half the battle.

"What impressed us - and specifically enabled this award - was the involvement of award-winning management and individuals in every department - people of excellence we have known for a decade. The result is no less than a national treasure. We must also pay tribute to Andy's mother Judy who has undoubtedly played a great part in this transformation."

However, Fiona Duncan, Telegraph Travel’s hotel expert, thought the award unfair and suggested that it may have been made for reasons of publicity for the Scottish Hotel Awards and Scotland, rather than integrity.

She was one of the first to stay at Cromlix, which she rated 8/10.

Speaking to the Telegraph today she said it was too early to decide whether or not the hotel was the best luxury property in Scotland.

"There is nothing much wrong with the hotel," she said, "except that it is all a bit new and shiny, not to mention expensive, at the moment and it needs time, in terms of looks, service and food, to bed down.

"It does have drawbacks (it is not a beautiful building either inside or out; there are few facilities apart from a couple of tennis courts; and there are none of the showstopping views that many Scottish hotels display) and it remains to be seen whether a management company can really produce the kind of heart, soul and character that the best hotels in the country always display.

"Above all," she continued, "it seems unfair on other, longer standing hotels that this glossy newcomer, on which millions have been spent, should run away with the prize after just a few weeks of trading."

When reviewing the hotel, Fiona Duncan described the style as “sober, comfortable and gracious”, with a “fitting dash of glamour”. However, she found the food “somewhat underwhelming” on her visit and commented that she thought it a shame that more fans of Andy Murray won’t be able to stay there, with rates for the smallest room starting at £250 per night.

Speaking to Telegraph Travel before the opening, Andy Murray said: “Cromlix was an important part of the area and meant so much to a lot of families and people locally, including mine. It’s important to me that I give back to the community that put me on the right path all those years ago, and the hotel seemed like the perfect way to do it.”